Clothes drying cabinets, which are more common in Japan than in the United States, are used for drying clothes without the conventional tumbling action. As opposed to a conventional tumbler dryer, a drying cabinet provides heated air for drying clothes hanging in the cabinet. Drying cabinets can also be used for de-wrinkling clothes. The de-wrinkling process includes the introduction of steam into the cabinet, which facilitates the removal of wrinkles from the clothes. The drying air is provided through multiple holes or louvers formed in one or more walls of the drying cabinet. However, conventional drying cabinets generally do not provide a balanced air flow through the cabinet, since the velocity of air flow through the inlet holes or louvers is greatest near the air supply source and progressively decreases as the inlet holes or louvers are spaced farther from the air supply source. Also, the drying air normally enters the cabinet through the holes or louvers in a common direction, which minimizes or reduces the mixture of drying air within the cabinet.
Conventional drying cabinets also do not have shelves for receiving clothes to be dried, such as sweaters which preferably should not be hung on a hanger, particularly when wet.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet having balanced air distribution throughout the cabinet.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet wherein drying air is introduced through holes or nozzles in the cabinet wall at a substantially uniform velocity.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet wherein the drying air is introduced through a plurality of air inlet holes or nozzles at multiple non-horizontal angles.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet having shelves for drying clothes thereon, and with drying air directed to both the upper and lower surfaces of the shelves.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet wherein an air plenum directs drying air into the cabinet uniformly.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet wherein an air distribution plenum has a decreasing cross sectional area, both horizontally and vertically, to provide substantially constant velocity air flow into the drying cabinet.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved clothes drying cabinet which also distributes steam in the cabinet for de-wrinkling clothes.
These and other objectives of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.